THE BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
2018...THE FINAL (?) ‘
...It’s now become a touchstone and resonates with the fate of past Brazilian Presidents.’.
With the approach of London Sugar Week and the upcoming Brazilian Presidential Elections I thought it opportune to write something current about Brazil. In my mind, I initially wished to write a commentary on the Brazilian ‘Operation Car-Wash’ bribery/corruption scandal and how it has gotten us to where we are today with the Elections. Yet on contemplation, I realised my thoughts ought to turn to the wider world and the slow realisation that this was perhaps another result of an aspect of Chaos Theory.
Let me
explain...back in December 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself publicly on fire in Tunisia. He committed suicide in frustration and desperation at official’s demanding bribes to allow him to be a fruit seller and sparked what is now known as the ‘Arab Spring’. These events reverberated around the world and I think continue to echo in a way that may still be evident. It was well known the role social media played in spreading the news of these events. They helped break down what some have called ‘pluralistic ignorance’, each individual believing they were alone in their views on such desperation and bribery when really all that happened was they were collectively silenced and isolated. Social media spread (and also fomented) the realisation that where once people had thought they were isolated and alone in dissent, they found they were not and drew strength from each other.
This went on from the Arab world to Asia, Africa, Southern Europe then Northern Europe and then to the
Americas...both of them. Many times it was against the paternalistic attitude of the perceived ruling elite or a section of society, sometimes it was on a single issue.
In Brazil at the same start to the decade, there was also a slowly fomenting individual anger and frustration. This was growing everywhere but especially prominent in the state of Paraná in Brazil where it overcame the usual apathy and resignation. The
reason...rejection for too long of an dull acceptance of institutionalised corruption.
These three conditions met...
1. a general international grass roots uprising, 2. the maturing and usage of social media and
3. a local apathy that had gone on too long being rejected once certain key disenchanted individuals, who happened to be the right people at the right time and place, led a public awakening.
The result was the outcry, revulsion and uncovering of what is probably the world’s largest ever corruption and money laundering scandal – the Operation Car Wash scandal in Brazil. I’m not going to go into detail because 1) there isn’t enough space here and 2) it is still ongoing. Suffice to say that it currently stands at about USD 10 Billion value with huge consequent investigations leading to significant incarcerations of members of Congress, banks, Senators, Governors and even the Brazilian Presidency. To give you an idea of the
size...this is more than ALL... yes ALL... the drug and contraband smuggling that enters Brazil.
6 | ADMISI - The Ghost In The Machine | September/October 2018
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